Bikkembergs licences fashion accessories to Ratti group

Belgian label Dirk Bikkembergs, Chinese-owned since July 2015, has signed a multi-year licence agreement for the design, production and worldwide distribution of the Bikkembergs textile fashion accessories line with Ratti, the Italian silk and luxury fabrics specialist.

The new collection of textile fashion accessories designed and produced by Ratti for Bikkembergs “I’m sure that the synergy between our companies will produce excellent results, as our label’s energy meets the technical and design flair of a long-established manufacturer like Ratti SpA”, said Dario Predonzan, COO of Levitas, which owns and runs the Dirk Bikkembergs brand.

The agreement is effective from this summer, with the presentation of the Spring/Summer 2019 collection. The new accessories line will combine technology innovation and classic design, and it will be distributed via the sales force of both Bikkembergs and Ratti.

“We share a love for style, innovation and the products we make. Together we will create collections capable of promoting the energy of the Bikkembergs style all over the world through its textile accessories, writing a major new success story,” said Elisabetta Curioni, head of the licensing department at Ratti.

In 2017, Ratti’s profitability increased significantly, with net profits of €6 million, more than double the figure of the previous year, for a total revenue of €99.4 million.

Dirk Bikkembergs’s majority shareholder is Chinese group Canudilo, which owns a 51% stake via the Levitas company, while the remaining 49% is owned in equal shares by Italian groups Zeis Excelsa and Sinv. The label operates 50 monobrand stores worldwide, 3 of them in Europe, and it is also distributed via 150 multibrand retailers, as well as being active on the e-tail channel internationally.

Archives Ratti

Opulent floral designs created by 18th century illustrator William Kilburn will be featured throughout the next edition of Scoop as part of a new partnership between the trade fair and the Victoria & Albert Museum.

To mark its centennial, the Italian eyewear label is launching a collector's item. Limited to 200, the handcrafted pairs of Persol's 18-carat gold trimmed aviators will be available at Saks Fifth Avenue.